Understanding the psychosocial profile of women with fibromyalgia syndrome
J Shuster, J McCormack, R Pillai Riddell, ME Toplak
Fibromyalgia syndrome (FMS) is a disease with a complex etiology characterized
by symptoms of widespread pain and fatigue. FMS is more common in
women. Both depression and anxiety have been found to be independently
associated with the severity of pain in symptoms of FMS. The goal of the
present study was to examine the psychosocial profile of women with FMS
and to see how the attributions, perceived social support and cognitive biases
of women with FMS are related to internalizing ratings of depression and
anxiety. The current study included a sample of women with FMS from a
local support group and a control group to examine how women with FMS
differed from controls with respect to psychosocial variables, and to determine
the relationship between these variables. Women with FMS reported a
higher external locus of control, lower levels of adaptive cognitive bias, less
perceived family support and lower mood than controls. Correlations
between these variables were examined within the FMS group, and it was
found that an external locus of control was significantly associated with
higher ratings of anxiety and depressed mood. These results suggest that
beliefs about locus of control and perceived family support of women with
FMS may importantly impact their health outcomes, and that treatments
related to locus of control and advocating for family support may considerably
improve the quality of life of patients with FMS.
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